


Recognize Yourself in Another

by Snacky



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snacky/pseuds/Snacky
Summary: There's a soul mark in the shape of crossed swords on Robb's right thigh.And that changes everything.





	Recognize Yourself in Another

**Author's Note:**

> For Mari, who has been waiting patiently (and not-so-patiently :D) for her Robb/Dacey fic.

There's a soul mark in the shape of crossed swords on Robb's right thigh.

Both his parents have told him, all his life, how lucky he is that his mark is somewhere not very visible -- when you have a visible mark, people are constantly peering at it and gossiping about who the match is, whether they know someone with the matching mark or not.

They should know. Robb's mother's mark is on her neck, and his father's on the back of his hand. They match, of course, and after all these years of marriage no one even gives a though to Lord and Lady Stark's soul marks.

But Robb has heard of the first time they met, when Lady Catelyn was betrothed to Robb's Uncle Brandon, the shock at finding their soulmate and realizing they were not to be wed.

"Soul marks don't really mean anything." Robb's mother has said that to all her children. But Robb knows she doesn't really mean it, given the way she glances at his father each time she says it.

Being wed to someone with a matching soul mark is just a dream for many, Robb knows this. Especially amongst the noble houses, where betrothals are made with alliances in mind, practicality is the rule, and soul marks rarely, if ever, carry any weight in a match. And even amongst the lesser houses, the merchants and the landed knights, and the smallfolk, there's no guarantee that a person could wed their match. Some people live and die without ever meeting their soulmate. His parents were only wed because of a cruel twist of fate.

Robb knows all this. He knows he's the future Lord of Winterfell. He knows he will have very little choice in the matter of his future wife.

Still, Robb dreams of meeting a maid, or a lady, with a mark to match his.

*************

There are matches proposed for him when he’s very young. Robb remembers a feast at his sixth nameday, when his father’s liege lords came with their young daughters, in the hopes of securing a betrothal. At six years, Robb isn’t interested in betrothals, or in girls at all, but his mother reminds him he must be polite to all the young ladies who speak to him

He overhears her talking to Father the day after the feast, when all the visiting lords and their families have departed. “They were all nice, of course. But none suitable for Robb. Perhaps you can start making inquiries to some of the other Lords … I believe Lord Tyrell has a daughter who is just around Robb’s age.”

His father nods, but his reply is a question. “Did you notice any of the girls having soul marks? The ones that were visible… none matched Robb’s.”

His mother has a gentle smile on her face, but her words are a soft reprimand. “Ned, it’s not possible to base a match on a soul mark, you know that. We were just lucky it worked for us.”

“Aye, we were.” And the love that Robb hears in his father’s voice makes him hope he’s that lucky as well.

*************

As it turns out, Sansa is the first betrothed, and it’s not to someone whose soul mark matches hers. Robb knows that Sansa’s soul mark is the color and shape of a weirwood’s leaf — he’s seen it on her forearm often enough. Joffrey Baratheon has a small soul mark in the shape of a single letter — B — along the left side of his jaw. They’re not a match, but Sansa doesn’t seem to be bothered too much much by it.

She’s a romantic, his sister — she loves the old stories and songs where all the beautiful ladies are wooed and wed by valiant knights, or a handsome prince, who of course has a soul mark to match the lady’s own. Sansa has often talked about finding her own match, and how wonderful and romantic it would be, to love and wed her true soul mate. But evidently being betrothed to Prince Joffrey with a future of Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, is romantic enough to make up for them not being matched.

Robb doesn’t like Joffrey, would rather Sansa held out for her dream of her soul mate, but it’s not his choice to make. His parents have agreed to the betrothal, and Sansa will join their father when he travels to King’s Landing to be the Hand of the King.

Arya’s going south with Father and Sansa… perhaps she’ll find her match in King’s Landing, although Arya’s never seemed to care about such things, unlike Sansa. She’s lucky, though. Arya’s soul mark is hidden under her clothes, so no one ever peers at hers and wonders aloud about her future.

Jon’s the same — his mark is on the sole of his foot, and no one ever sees it. Of course, Jon is going to the Wall, so his mark doesn’t matter, but Robb can’t help but wonder about Jon’s match, out there somewhere, who his brother will never even get the chance to meet, let alone wed.

Robb wonders too about his own match, and if he’ll ever meet her. He’s not going south, though, or even north to the Wall. He’s staying here in Winterfell with his mother and Rickon and Bran (if he ever wakes), because Robb will be the Lord of Winterfell while his father is away. If he’s ever to meet his match, she’ll need to find him.

*************

After his father and the girls go south, life changes. Not just in the way Robb thought it would change, but it changes so quickly and so much that Robb sometimes wonders if he’s been only dreaming his life since they day his family departed.

Because it’s still hard to believe he lives in a world where his father has been executed as a traitor, one where the Lannisters tried to kill his younger brother, one where the Lannisters hold his sisters captive, and one where Robb is now King of the North and leading men into battle after battle.

He hasn’t thought about his mark or his soul mate at all — he’s much too busy thinking of strategies, both martial and political. Strategy is all his has time for these days — a king can’t indulge in silly daydreams of a matching mark.

Still, when his mother tells him she arranged a betrothal with one of Walder Frey’s daughters, Robb wants to protest. He can’t marry a strange girl — what if they don’t have the same mark? But Robb knows this is foolishness. He needs to secure Walder Frey as an ally and these are the terms. So he swallows his complaints and agrees.

But the very next day, he regrets it.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter coming soon!


End file.
